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Mars cracks up

NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has examined slabs of rock that seem to be cracked, dry mud. Found in a region nicknamed “Old Soaker”, the rocks are scored with thin, shallow ridges that break the surface into four and five-sided shapes, unlike anything else seen on Mars so far. The cracks might be from long-lived Martian lakes periodically drying up.

Early menopause link

Women are 31 per cent more likely to have an early menopause if they started menstruating before age 12. The largest study of its kind found that 8.8 per cent of women who got their first period aged 11 or younger experienced the menopause early, between the ages of 40 and 44. Just over 3.1 per cent began before the age of 40 (Human Reproduction, DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dew350).

Hack-proof

The world’s first quantum communication satellite is performing “much better” than expected. China’s Quantum Experiment at Space Scale (QUESS) satellite, launched in August 2016, will use quantum mechanics to enable ultra-secure communications.

10 metres of sea rise

Global sea levels could rise by up to 2.5 metres by 2100 and up to 9.7 metres by 2200. So says the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency revised its worst-case scenarios now several recent studies suggest Antarctic ice is melting faster than expected.

Sexual feeling

In the mood? Injections of a hormone named kisspeptin increase the brain’s response to arousing images (Journal of Clinical Investigation, doi.org/bxqh). The study involved 29 young men, but the team plans to look at the effects in women too. They hope the research may help devise treatments for psychosexual disorders.